I guess I've been
putting off this last post for a while, number one because I'm lazy and number
two because it's another weird transition for me—I actually managed to keep
this blog (for the most part) updated throughout my year, and it's just one
more goodbye that I have to do for this year. This last weekend I was in
Decorah for Nordic Fest, eating lefse and lingonberry ice cream, repping my I
Love Sweden shirt and hanging out with friends and seeing people I haven't seen
in a year. It was a great weekend, but so hard and just so weird. After living
abroad for a year and everything that I've done and seen in all my travels, the
transition into my senior year of college is already more difficult than I
could ever imagine.

This year has
been, without a doubt, the year of all my dreams. I got to spend an entire year
with my people in the country I love most, seeing the places I've only ever
dreamed of and growing so much as a person throughout all of my (mostly solo)
travels. I know it sounds cliché, but this has been the best year of my life,
and I will never forget it. Not only was I able to fully immerse myself in British
life and culture, I had amazing opportunities to travel around England, fully
indulging in my love of history to the maximum point possible. I also had
incredible opportunities to travel all over the world, meeting different types
of people and experiencing different cultures—and seeing how everywhere the
world is both absolutely different and completely similar.

Since I really
enjoy lists, I thought it would be best to sum up my year abroad with a couple
lists that exemplify the extent of my travels this year:

Places in
England I Visited:

-Nottingham (duh)

-Peak District
(Haddon Hall and Chatsworth House)

-London (9 times)
(!!!!!!!!)

-Lincoln

-Middle of
fucking nowhere to go to Hardwick Hall

-Peak District
(Eyam and Crich)

-Kenilworth
Castle and Coventry

-Bosworth
Battlefield

-Liverpool

-Penzance

-Land's End

-Exeter

-Dartmoor
National Park

-Portsmouth

-Winchester

-Canterbury

-Rochester

-Random ass
village I walked through to get to Leeds Castle

-Dover

-Cambridge

-Ely

-Bury St. Edmunds

-Tutbury (for
Tutbury Castle)

-Peterborough
(twice)

-Leicester for
Oadby Library and Alison Weir

-Durham

-Hadrian's Wall

-York

-Stratford-Upon-Avon

-Manchester
(technically twice for Taco Bell trips)

-Hever (for Hever
Castle)

-Southwell (for
the Workhouse and the cathedral)

-Leicester again
(unfortunately)

-Gloucester

-Winchcombe
(Cotswolds for Sudeley Castle/Hailes Abbey)

-Cheltenham

-Tewkesbury

-Cirencester

-Blenheim
Palace/Bladon

-Fotheringhay

-Bitchfield

Countries I
Visited:

-Scotland

-Latvia

-Wales

-Ireland (twice)

-Holland

-Sweden

-Poland

-Czech Republic

-France

-Spain

-Croatia

-Russia

So…I guess I went
a fair amount of places! Shit. Not gonna lie, I think these lists are pretty
impressive. During my year, I finished my (primary) Cathedral List, got halfway
through my "50 Tudor Places to See in England" list, and visited
every country that was on my main list. With all the places I've been, I have a
great idea for the countries I can't wait to go back to (Ireland and Croatia
are at the top!!!), and countries that I feel like I can skip now that I've
been there. On a smaller scale, I now know the places in England I never intend
to set foot in again (Leicester, "where people go to die") and the
places I will dream of going back to every night until my return (Peterborough,
London, okay not even going to try to do this list).

And even though I
feel like I've done and seen and experienced so much, I still have so much more
I want to do. There are so many things in England I have yet to see (mainly my
Secondary Cathedral List), so many more countries to visit in Europe, and my
god I want to see the whole world and travel to literally every single country
and every single corner. I've already started formulating my next dream (1-2
month trip across Eastern Europe, from the Baltics down to the Balkans and
hitting up everywhere inbetween), as well as planning out more trips across
northern England (and Scotland) (and Wales)… once the travel bug hits you, I
don't think it ever ends. The world will always be calling.

Most importantly,
I feel like I have grown so much as a person through all these amazing
opportunities. I hope it's obvious to anyone reading just how grateful I am to
have been able to have these experiences, but it's still worth saying. My
entire life and my entire perspective on life have shifted and changed
completely—I have learned so much. About myself, about people, about the world.
I think most importantly to me, this year was a complete and total validation
of something I've always known: I belong in England. Very rarely do I talk
about "fate" or "destiny," but after watching all my dreams
come true, I think it was too amazing to say it was all just coincidence.

So I'd like to
make one last list to finish up this blog before I (inevitably) break it out
for the next big adventure. This list is one of the things I've discovered and
learned in my time living abroad and traveling extensively. I don't really want
it to read like an advice book, but at the same time… no one should be getting
charged $67 to check a bag at the gate (still not over it
EasyJet, still not over it). So if I had to sum it all up…

Most Important
Things I've Learned:

-Be brave, be
fearless. "The only
thing we have to fear is fear itself." Up there with FDR, I'd like to
include my good friend and flatmate John's quote to me before I went to Latvia
and I told him I was scared: "Either you're going to go and have a great
time, or you'll die." Never, ever, let your fear stop you from doing
something.

-Listen to
your gut instinct. There is a reason this exists. And
you should listen to it. There
is a fine line between brave and stupid. I spent a fair amount of my year
walking this line. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't right.
Always put yourself and your own personal safety and wellbeing first.

-Everyone
should try traveling alone, at least once. You might decide it's not for you, or you could
be like me, and realize that you are absolutely 100% in love with traveling by
yourself. Seeing the things you want to see, doing the things you want to do,
napping when you want to nap, eating when you want to eat, etc. Seriously what
could be better? And if you decide it's not for you, well then you can say
you've done it once and you won't have to do it again!

-The key to
traveling alone is all about common sense and street smarts. Seriously,once you travel alone enough, you realize that all
new places are basically the same. Having the ability to navigate one new city
is a transferable skill that will easily shift as you get to the next new city.
And the main thing I learned as a woman traveling alone:that confidence and planning can make
anything possible. Walk like you know where you're going (even if you don't)
and avoid looking like a vulnerable tourist when you're alone. Know where you're
going when you're walking (aka get a map and also learn how to read it) and
avoid situations that make you look particularly vulnerable (ex. Asking a
stranger for directions alone at night). And always, always, choose to be safe
rather than sorry!

-Making new
friends can be suprisingly easy. As an introvert, traveling has completely transformed me socially. Most
notably after my first trip with Sigrid, when I learned how to talk to people I
don't know. This trip, with so much solo travel, I learned how to be friends
with people I don't know. The easiest thing to do is say a quick "hi"
to the new person checking into your hostel room and ask where they're from.* I have met some of the most interesting
people and made some truly amazing friends through my travels this year. I
wouldn't have gotten to know any of them if I was too shy to say hello and
chat. They, too, have helped transform me into a different person. I can't
imagine my year without them.

*This is assuming that you want to make
friends. We've all had those times when all you want to do is shower and go the
fuck to sleep since you only have one night to actually rest and you're leaving
at 5:30 the next morning. I feel you.

-How to pack,
and how to pack only a carryon. Literally, I think I brought 3 shirts on a 2-week trip to Russia. Bring
nothing. If you want to pack light, give up on the dream of all those
"cute" travel pictures, where you're wearing the cutest outfit, with
the cutest shoes, and your purse is the trendiest thing ever. Pack practically—bring
a couple shirts, a couple bottoms (leggings—especially my amazing underarmour
ones—are highly recommended as they can double as sleepwear!), one cute
dress/outfit/nice shirt, and one outfit for going out. I also recommend packing
enough socks/underwear to last you about a week. I also recommend packing an
obscene amount of socks if you are traveling around England, since your socks will get wet. And as someone who traveled for
a month in only a carryon backpack, my tips for flying: make sure your bag is
within the carryon restriction (usually 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, or at least
that’s what Ryanair is), know your carryon very well (just how much it can
expand), and if your bag doesn’t fit in the sizer, here are two tricks: take
your jacket/coat off and carry it (always carry it on the plane instead of
packing it!), and take tons of shit out of your bag and stuff it in your jacket
pockets. (Fuck you, AirBaltic bitch leaving Russia.) Also, something that will
work on most airlines: carry a plastic bag of stuff and say it is airport
shopping. This is how my fur hat and purse came home with me from Russia.
Certain airlines (or airports) may require a sealed Duty-Free Shopping bag
and/or receipt, so it might not always work. But having a plastic bag of shopping
or snacks can usually get through.

-Travel
essentials. For me, this
included my watch, my water bottle cause ain't nobody got money to pay for
water everywhere (unless you're in Russia/somewhere you can't drink tap water)
(also RIP to my water bottle that I threw away in the St. Petersburg airport, I
miss you), a padlock for lockers and keeping stuff safe in hostels (also some
hostels will rent locks out and ain't nobody got money fo dat), and sandwich
bags. This final one is clutch, because first of all you will need plastic bags
for all kinds of shit, but mainly because sandwich bags can (and SHOULD!) be
used for stealing food from the hostel breakfast and eating it for lunch. I've
done this at literally every single hostel I stayed at that offered a free
breakfast. This means free lunch. Free breakfast+free lunch=2 free meals. My
mad skillz in Paris and the amazing breakfast my hostel offered meant that I'm
pretty sure I spent about $15 on food the entire 3 days I was there (and about
$5 of that was on this fucking amazing peanut butter pastry thing). This will
save you a TON of money! Literally never go on a trip without these things.

-How to walk
literally everywhere. I
say this as the girl who took the Metro twice in Paris. I spent the year honing
my map/directional skillz to the point where I didn't have to use my map the
last two times I was in London. Learn how to read a map, and learn how to walk.
You will see so much more of a city if you walk it, as opposed to spending all
your time underground or on a tram or on a bus (etc). You might have to get up
a little earlier to get to your destination, but it will be worth it. Enjoy the
walk. Enjoy the location. Experience it fully.

-Time
management. Never have I
been more proud of my time management than this year. Remember how I was
supposed to be "studying" abroad? I had to pretend to do school all
year—this meant figuring out when exactly I would have to write that 10-page
essay, when I could skip a class to have a long weekend trip, when I needed to
spend all day in the library. I also learned how to schedule all my own trips—I
had a 21 day period where I was in Notts for 5 days. It was a lot of travel,
but then I spent 12 days at home working on an essay and catching up. I also
took 3 short trips during a 2-week exam period. Squeeze as much in as you can
do, and be careful of running yourself ragged. Also picking the places to
go—I'm still disappointed that I didn't get to do another weekend in Scotland
(see Glasgow and Stirling), but I chose to spend 5 days falling in love with
Croatia after my spring break instead.

-Planning
trips in general. I have
a routine for every time I plan a trip. This will be much easier once you have
The Book. No, not the Bible, but the latest edition of a travel guide book for
Europe (I highly
recommend my Europe on a Shoestring by Lonely Planet. And Lonely Planet in
general. Rick Steves has way more money than I can spend). I figure out the
things I want to do in a city and how many days I'd like to have there
(including day trips). Find a flight/train/bus that will get me there and back.
Based on transportation, I might have to adjust my ideal trip time (go back a
day earlier since there's a cheaper train, stay two days longer in Croatia
because there's a 20€ flight on Friday, etc). Find a hostel in The Book for various
cities (check it out online, see the location, check out pictures to make sure
it doesn't have rats, etc.) and book accordingly for the number of nights
needed. Figure out your transfers to/from the airport/train or bus station.
Make a list of the things you want to make sure you see/do in each city. And
then go and do it. (Note: This is obviously making it sound way easier than it
actually is. But once you plan one trip, you can plan a million.)

-BUDGETING. I essentially had a lump sum in my bank
account for this year and had to make it last until I started working again
this summer. Budget out a trip—think about money for food, money for souviners,
money for everything and anything. I gave myself a budget for my spring break
and (for the most part) stayed on track enough to not feel bad about going to
Croatia 4 days later. Find out what works best for you, find out your
priorities for spending money. I will always choose castles over food, which is
why I ate a lot of kebabs and sandwiches and saw a fucking shit ton of castles.
And most importantly, always have more money accessible than you will need to spend (an extra $100 in
your checking account, a credit card for emergencies, whatever works). You
never want to be stuck in a situation where you don't have the ability to get
yourself out. This is especially important if you're traveling alone! Rather be
safe than sorry. (And if you're an impulse buyer, make a list of what
constitutes an "emergency" and stick to it.)

-Doner kebab
is the same in every language. Seriously, I'm not kidding. As long as you can hold up one finger and say
"doner kebab," you can literally eat in any city anywhere in the
world. (Off topic, but I'm also seriously considering writing a book on why
kebabs are the best traveling food ever. EVER. #allaboutthekebabs
#datyungkebablife #stillmissingmyboyinWrocław #bestkebabsinEurope)

-Being
comfortable in your own skin. My relationship with myself has changed drastically this year as well,
although it might not be the most noticeable. I have learned to accept the days
where you sleep on a bus and can't shower, you look gross and you smell bad,
you had to wake up at 4:30am to get to the airport and ain't nobody got time to
put on makeup that early. I've learned to accept all of it and embrace it as
part of the traveling life. Actually, I basically stopped wearing makeup this
year. I've learned to feel the most beautiful when my face is clean and fresh.
(Although, of course, if you feel most beautiful in makeup it is entirely your
choice to use it!) I've also learned that some of the times I felt the most
beautiful was when I probably didn't look the most beautiful on the
outside—those times when I would wake up early and spend an hour hiking to a
castle and not wear makeup and show up sweaty and panting and wearing the same
shirt I've been wearing for 5 days straight. But I'd feel like a badass, and
I'd feel smart, and I'd feel confident, and for me, that's what makes me feel
beautiful. Travel will push you to your limits, and teach you things you didn't
know were important. Accepting yourself for the person you are, and embracing
that person, is one of the most valuable lessons you can learn in life.

-The world is
so big. You are a tiny
speck on the radar. There are so many new people you haven't met yet, so many
cities you haven't visited, so many countries you haven't explored. The
possibilities are endless, the list of things to experience stretch to infinity
and back again, the vastness never ceases to amaze me. You are only one person
out of 7.178 BILLION people on this earth (according to Wikipedia). Accept that
you inhabit a tiny, miniscule niche of humankind, and enjoy the ride.

-People are
wonderful. Although the
song "I Hate Everyone" is my theme song, in general life I have to
admit people are good
and one person can
make a difference. The kindness of strangers has influenced my year more than I
could ever imagine. I was walked to a train station when I was lost, given
directions for the correct bus stop I needed (multiple times), taken care of
when I was sick, had my suitcase carried up a flight of stairs… this list could
go on and on. I remember all these small acts of kindness, and I remember the
people who made them. People who went out of their way to help me and to be
kind to me, for no reason and for no other reward rather than a quite relieved "thank
you!" and a grateful smile from me. The wonderful people I have met just
in this year helped remind me that there's still good in this world, and that
it's worth fighting for. (And if you didn't understand that quote, no. Just
no.) I can only try to repay the small acts of kindness I've received by small
acts of kindness for strangers myself. And I know this is impossible since
probably none of these strangers will ever read this blog, but to all these
people I've encountered: THANK YOU!

Okay, this blog
post is officially getting too long. Save the best for last, right?! I thought
I'd end it with a quote from a song that was constantly my badass traveling
jam. In an effort to recap the last year, I'll just say: it was the year that
all my dreams came true. Thank you to everyone who supported me and helped make it possible! The
memories will stay with me forever. Here's to the next dream and the next
adventure!

I’ve been a long time
gone now

Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
If you ever want to find me I can still be found

Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around